


Good Times, Bad Times

by WellDoneBeca



Series: Mrs Captain [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: 1980's, 1990's, Angst, Awesome James "Rhodey" Rhodes, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Jean Grey Lives, Minor Jean Grey/Scott Summers - Freeform, Parent Tony, Parent Tony Stark, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Prequel, Single Parents, Young Tony Stark, single parent tony, single parent tony stark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 20:36:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 17,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14901545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WellDoneBeca/pseuds/WellDoneBeca
Summary: Tony was young, very young, really. He never expected to be a father so early in his life, much less a single father. Anna had died and left you in his arms after they’d fought so much to get through the mess her pregnancy was.It had happened, though, and he was alone with you in this.Good times and bad, it would be a long ride.





	1. Prologue - June 1988

**\- June 1988 -**

  


Tony rubbed a hand over his face.

“Pregnant?”

Anna only nodded.

God, he was screwed, he was so screwed.  His father would fucking kill him. 

Tony and Anna had never actually dated. They were more like friends that sometimes slept together, being each other’s firsts in many  ways and bonding right  after they met. 

She was an orphan with no brothers and sister and a half-ass job in a cafeteria in  the campus. She wasn’t a student – she couldn’t afford school yet – but it was easy to find her around some groups when she was out of work, especially by Tony’s side. 

“You’re pregnant,” he repeated to himself. “And it’s mine.”

“I haven’t slept with anyone else since we met, Tony,” she reminded him. “It’s yours. You can have a paternity test if you want to, I don’t mind.”

But he wasn’t worried about that. Anna could be broke as fuck, but she would never try to scam him in any way,  especially with a baby. 

“What are you gonna do, now?” she asked in a low voice.

“Get married?” he pondered.

Anna just looked at him dead in the eye.

“Tony, you’re a great friend, but there is no way I will ever want to marry into your family. We don’t even love each other that way.”

A nd she was right. One of the perks of their relationship was the simple fact the two of them were  very  good friends and no thing more. 

“My dad is gonna kill me,” he affirmed. 

“Kill you? No, he needs an heir,” she corrected him. “No. He’s gonna send me out of the country with a bag and a hundred bucks in my pocket before I can say the word banana.”

Anna was Tony’s age, a few weeks younger, in this case. They were just 18, and she was fresh out of school and a crappy orphanage.  They were different to the extreme: Money, background, current life situation… They couldn’t be more different. Maybe that was why they had bonded so well. Being who she was, however, proved her point. While Howard wouldn’t suggest an abortion or anything extreme, he would for sure try to get her away from their lives and cover the story as soon as possible. 

“I’m not gonna let him,” he affirmed. “That’s my baby and you are my friend.”

The young woman stood up, walking around the room of the apartment. They were in her place, a three-room apartment that only had space enough for an old couch, one TV. It was the cheapest place she had found, and – minus food, water and electricity - the rest of her money was directed to her school funds. Hopefully, in two years, Anna would be able to start studying, get a degree and then a nice job.

Tony had offered  her  money once – he had a lot of that, and wouldn’t miss it according to himself – but she had never accepted it. She was very stubborn, and he couldn’t say he didn’t like it, although it could be annoying sometimes. 

“We are 18,” she reminded him. “Do you really think we can raise a kid?”

“Younger people had done so,” he shrugged. “It can’t be that hard right?”

She sighed.

“We really should have checked that condom’s expiration date.”


	2. - August 1988 -

**\- August 1988 -**

 

Anna sighed to herself, resting her head back on the wall. The moment she most feared was just a few steps away from her.

Tony’s bodyguard – the only one who knew what had happened – had driven the two of them to the Stark mansion right after the three of them had gotten out of the plane.

The small rich family was locked inside Howard’s office for hours, and the orphan girl was almost dying from nervousness. The pregnancy nausea was mixed with the feelings inside her, and she was so sick the man had to guide her to the bathroom twice.

“Miss,” a maid stopped in front of her. “Mr Stark send me for you.”

Anna followed her, trying to keep a straight face. This was probably the fanciest place she’d ever stepped in her life, Tony’s apartment couldn’t compare to his parents’ home. A single painting on those walls could pay for her whole education and she would still have money left to get an apartment and a car.

Speaking of apartments, Howard’s office was bigger than her whole rented place, and it was easy to get that he knew of that fact the moment his eyes fell on her figure.

“She doesn’t look pregnant,” he commented as if she was just a piece of decoration before walking to her. “So you are Miss… Anna Smith.”

The way he said her name made her cringe. Anna’s last name was given after the priest that ran the orphanage she was raised in after her parents had left her in there with a single letter, their first names and hers.

Jean and Scott.

He didn’t give her the opportunity to respond, already walking to his desk and pulling a pen from his pocket.

“Tell me the price, Miss Smith.”

Anna wasn’t surprised. Howard Stark had reacted exactly how his son had said he would: trying to buy her silence and her way out of their lives.

“I don’t want your money,” she touched her belly protectively, using the same voice tone she had used to her, voice dripping disgust and a bit of poison. “Mr Stark.”

Howard was old, probably in his 70s, and he wife was clearly younger. According to Tony, his mother was a nice woman and amazing mother. Anna couldn’t, however, figure if she would hate her or not, given her current situation.

_Let’s hope not._

“You certainly don’t expect me to allow you to marry into this family,” he accused and she glanced at her side when Tony walked to stand there.

“Oh, no,” the woman shook her head. “Actually, that’s the last thing I want.”

The man looked at her in confusion. He couldn’t understand what she was proposing. No one had probably her defied him that way but she herself had little to nothing to lose. Tony would never leave their baby without the assistance they would need. She didn’t need their money, she could make her own, but she wouldn’t let her baby suffer the way she did.

“Then what do you want?” Howard questioned.

“I want this child to be recognised as Tony’s,” she affirmed. “I want them to have his last name, to be well fed and have a nice family. A mother, a father and grandparents. To go to a nice school and… All that stuff a kid should have but isn’t always a given to people that need it.”

Howard just eyed her down, still smug and probably feeling as superior as possible over her.

“We don’t even know if this child is his.”

Anna shrugged.

“Get a DNA test when they are born, I don’t mind,” she pointed. “Money is the last thing I’m after with this, trust me.”


	3. - September 1988 -

**\- September 1988 -**

 

Anna groaned, falling on the old couch with a groan and earning a look from Tony, who was reading something sat on the floor.

“What’s wrong?”

“My feet a killing me,” she whined, kicking off her shoes

The 4th month of pregnancy was catching up on her, and while early nausea had disappeared, heartburn and tiredness had replaced it rather quickly. Even after Tony had insisted she should leave her job or at least get shorter shifts, she had doubled her work in order to get money for the baby’s stuff. He was paying for her medical bills, part of the food and stuff for the baby, but she still wanted to contribute to stuff.

“Do you want me to call someone?” he offered. “I know this masseuse and I swear on my life...”

“Dude,” she interrupted him. “You got me pregnant. You own me foot rubs from that day until our kid is too big to be picked up. You might as well start right now.”

Tony looked up, probably thinking Anna was joking, but her face was deadly serious.

Rolling his eyes, he moved himself to the couch, pulling her legs to his lap and working on her feet.

The small apartment looked even smaller with the crib – from IKEA, thanks to her insistence – he had put together standing against the opposite wall, just a few steps away from the changing table beside the couch.

The small wardrobe he’d bought – and matched the other two pieces – was still boxed, because they couldn’t find a place to put it yet. Honestly, Tony had no idea of how Anna would fit the rest of the baby stuff in the apartment, but she was sure trying.

His place, though, was completely different. A large crib that could probably fit three babies was already being handcrafted, along with a changing table, bouncy chair, two rocking chairs and an arm, all of them designed to fit the nursery perfectly. Instead of a wardrobe, the baby already had a closet full of clothes that would keep them warm or fresh – or just pretty for visits -, along with toys and more toys Tony would find when walking around town, blankets and shifts. As if it wasn’t enough, Tony was also one call away from getting more clothes for the baby, this time with girlish or boyish colours depending on their baby’s gender.

“So,” he moved his fingers carefully, being sure he wouldn’t tickle her and get kicked on the face. “My mother suggested Edward as a name. I like James. William is nice too.”

“I don’t know,” she moved her hand to the bump, caressing it dismissively. “I still think we’re having a girl.”

“Y/N,” he repeated the name you’d told him just days ago. “Y/N Stark. Sound good.”

She smiled and Tony smirked, moving his hand up her ankle.

“We can reuse the name if the baby is a boy,” he suggested, making her look at him in surprise and doubt.

“You want another baby.”

“If I don’t get anyone in ten years, yeah,” he shrugged. “It wouldn’t be so bad. It’s you, after all.”

Anna shook her head.

“You’re nuts.”

“And… Well...” he caressed her skin with his fingertips. “Looking at you like this. With my kid and all? I really want you right now.”

Anna looked at him with an arched eyebrow, chuckling right after.

“Well… It’s not like I can get pregnant.”


	4. - October 1988 -

**\- October 1988 -**

 

“Hey,” Tony called, making Anna turn her head in his direction as he sat on the couch by her side. “I found this on my bed.”

She frowned.

For once, they were in his apartment. He was back from class and had stopped by to get her from work just one hour earlier.

“What’s that?”

He didn’t answer, sitting by her side and opening the large box.

“Clothes. Baby clothes.”

Anna let out a groan.

Their baby already had more clothes and shoes and toys than she’d ever had in her whole life.

“Just put it in the closet, you have more space than I do.”

He didn’t move, though, taking things out of the box.

“I think that’s from my dad,” Tony muttered.

 _That_ made her raise her head.

“Did he sign it?”

“Not actually. It says Stark, but my mother always signs with her name.”

ried not to show her surprise, though she was shocked.

A gift from Howard was _more_ than a miracle.

“Well, now we can be sure he doesn’t hate the baby,” she Anna decided. “ _Much.”_

He didn’t protest, as both of them knew it was a possibility for his father to absolutely despise the unborn child.

“Yeah, I guess,” he pulled an embroidered blanket from the box. “Wow.”

The two of them had recently chosen the baby’s name. Y/N if it was a girl, and Edward if it was a boy. The blanket, or two blanket sets actually, were in pink and blue, each blue one with the name Edward carefully embroidered, while the pink had ‘Y/N’ in them.

“Those are beautiful,” Anna whispered, reaching out. “And soft. Do you think that means he is coming around with the fact he’s gonna be a grandfather?”

Tony’s eyes roamed through the fabric as his fingers tested them and he brought them close to his face. They even had a soft baby smell.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “He may be.”


	5. - 31st of October 1988 -

******\- 31 st of October 1988 -**

 

Anna groaned in frustration, covering her face with her hands

“Come on, Anna,” Tony knocked on her door, impatient. “We’re gonna be late.”

“Go without me,” she decided. “I don’t want to go anymore.”

There was a Halloween party happening on the campus and Tony was obviously invited, which prompted him to invite her to go with him.

“Are you okay?” he questioned, worried.

“Just go, Tony.”

She looked… Huge. Extremely huge.

At 5 months pregnant, Anna barely recognised herself in the mirror. She was a lean girl, a bit taller than the usual, and her shape had completely changed with pregnancy. She had never paid much attention to her body but, right now, she absolutely hated it. She looked ready to pop, even though there were still 4 months to go.

Tony entered the room slowly, glancing at her lying on her side, already on the dress even though her accessories were still on the box he’d given her.

“Hey,” he walked to the bed, kneeling down. “What’s wrong?”

He was dressed as a milkman, and she was supposed to put on a vintage dress, which would create a joke the moment they were seen together.

_The Milkman’s baby._

“It’s stupid,” she muttered.

“I’m sure it’s not.”

Anna hesitated but turned to look at him.

“I look awful.”

Tony was surprised and his face clearly showed. With the pregnancy, she looked so glorious.

“Oh, come on,” he smiled openly. “You look so hot.”

Anna shot him a scowl.

“Tony, I look like a whale.”

“You look like someone who got a really good fuck,” he corrected her. “And is now… Well… Packing the… consequence?”

“Yeah, I’m packing the consequence of an expired condom!” she slammed his arm. “Look… I don’t like parties. They are your thing. And I look… I hate the way I look. I don’t want to go.”

He just kept looking at her. He didn’t know what to say.

“Sorry about that,” he muttered. “Is there anything I can do?”

She took a long breath.

“I just want to stay home.”

He took off the hat in his head.

“Alright, then,” he stood up. “Go change. I’ll be right back.”

He left the room, and she quickly changed to an old shirt she had stolen from him and, when Tony came back, it was just to get her to the living room. His belt was gone and his shoes as well, and the white shirt of the costume was out of his pants.

“Alright,” he opened some buttons, looking much more relaxed, turning up a soap opera and waiting for her to sit down on the couch before doing the same and covering both of them with a blanket, smiling when Anna rested her weight on his chest and caressing her side.

“You’re sure you don’t want to go to the party?” she muttered. “I can stay here.”

“Don’t be silly,” he rolled his eyes. “I rather stay here with you.”

Anna smiled and felt her cheeks a bit warm when he kissed her forehead.

“Now, can you just remind me of who are those guys? I’m kinda lost.”


	6. - November 1988 -

\- November 1988 -

 

 

Tony frowned at Anna when he entered the living room of her apartment. It was her day off, and he was planning to go out and maybe walk in the park. The doctor always said Anna should keep herself active and healthy, and some sun would be good for her.

“What are you doing?” he questioned.

“Watching Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood,” she said like it was obvious. “What does it look like?”

Tony rolled his eyes, glancing at the TV.

“Ain’t that the King Something? From… Pretend land?”

“King Friday from Make Believe, dumbass,” Anna threw the popcorn she had on her lap on him.

He chuckled, taking off his shoes and socks.

“You are watching the kids’ show and I’m the dumbass? How old are you? Five?” he sat on the couch. “I can’t even remember last time I watched this show.

“I always watch it!” she exclaimed, excited. “When I was a kid, the people from the orphanage always turned it on when it started, none of us kids ever lost a single episode.”

He lost his smile for a moment. It was easy to forget Anna had such a past.

“I want the baby to watch it,” she affirmed. “Every day. Just as I did.”

He reached out for a moment and looked up at her to make sure Anna was fine with him touching her stomach.

“Any kicks today?”

As if to respond, Tony’s felt the pressure against his hands and opened a smile.

“Does that answer your question?” she arched her eyebrow.

The baby loved Tony. Two words from him and Anna would be kicked and punched all around from inside. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, but it was adorable to see how her friend reacted to it. The little bean, a kind nickname he’d given their kid since their first ultrasound, loved him unconditionality even though they’d never even seen him yet. It was amazing.

“Are you ready?” he asked, looking up to realise the show was over.

“Yeah,” she pulled her coat from behind her on the couch. “Let’s go.”

Today was the day. They were going to find out if the baby was a girl or a boy. Tony was betting on a boy, but Anna _knew_ there was a girl in her belly.

There was a rush inside the two of them as soon as they entered the doctor’s office, and when her stomach was covered in gel, Anna’s eyes were glued to Tony’s.

“Girl,” she whispered.

“Boy!”

“Girl!”

“Boy!”

The doctor glanced at the two of them, but none of the two was looking to check if she was judging them or whatever. They were too concentrated on holding each other’s eyes for the longest time.

 _The first to blink loses_ , was the implied bet, as if somehow _that_ would decide the baby’s sex.

Two kids having a kid, that’s what they were.

“Have you chosen a name yet?” she changed the subject, and Tony hesitated a bit before looking at her.

Doctor Ramsay was the same doctor who’d taken care of Maria when she was pregnant with Tony, less than two decades prior. She was conservative but sweet, and his mother has made sure that she was the one to help the two of them through the journey.

“Edward for the boy,” he said excitedly. “And Y/N for a girl.”

The doctor nodded.

“Those are very good names.”

“My mother suggested Edward,” Tony said proudly. “I personally think it is a boy, so...”

“You do?” the woman pressed some buttons.

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Everyone is saying she is carrying like the baby is a boy.”

Anna shook her head.

“I think it’s a girl,” she argued, squeezing the hand Tony had around hers. “I’m good with guesses, I trust my gut feelings.”

“And they are telling you’re having a girl,” Ramsay turned to them.

“Exactly.”

More buttons and the image of a baby formed in the screen, quickly being frozen, and the doctor marked some points with an arrow.

“Well?” he looked at her, filled with expectation.

“Congratulations,” she smiled. “You’re having a girl.”

 


	7. - November 1988 -

\- November 1988 -

 

 

Anna stared at the closed box in front of her hesitantly. She hadn’t seen it since she’d hid it from herself inside the only closet in the small apartment, but something inside it was calling her recently.

For the first time in her life, she wanted to see the letter.  _That_ letter.

_For: Anna.  
From: Jean and Scott._

Inside a bag with her clothes and a single toy from her childhood, the envelope that had been closed 18 years prior was still intact while she left the orphanage, looking for a job and a cheap apartment months ago.

Anna never thought of opening it; her parents had left her, why would she want to think about them? However, the more pregnant she was, and the more she felt  _you_ kicking from inside her, the more she wanted to read and try to understand the reason behind it.

“Hey,” Tony stopped beside her on the couch. “How long have you been staring at it?”

“Hours,” she whispered.

He knew about the letter, about the story behind it, and especially about  _how_ she was feeling seeing it.

“I don’t know if I can open it,” Anna muttered. “I want to, but… I can’t. Physically. I can’t.”

“I can,” he offered softly. “If you want to.”

She offered the envelope to him silently.

“Go on. Try not to tear the paper.”

He nodded. Anna didn’t like when people damaged stuff when opening it. He didn’t know why – things were replaceable to him -, but never argued with her. It was a pet peeve, probably. Who knows.

Slowly, he managed to pull the paper open right where it was glued, and, and stared at the folded paper inside it. Glancing at Anna to see if she wanted to open it and getting no response, he pulled it out and opened it, unfolding a sheet of paper written in a single handwriting, but signed by two people, clearly old and clearly tear-stained as well.

“Here is it,” he whispered. “Your parents’ letter.”

Anna didn’t look at him or the paper. She was shaking, trying to keep her breathing rhythm steady.

“Read it,” she muttered. “Please.”

Tony’s eyes ran the paper, taking the words for a moment and shifting in his place.

“Dear Anna,” he started, and his voice was only loud enough for them to listen.

> “Hello. We are your parents. You don’t know us yet and must be asking yourself why. I want to apologise to you, we both do. Leaving you wasn’t our happiest decision, it was the saddest. All we wanted was to have you close to us, being loved and cared, but we couldn’t, your safety is more important to us than anything else.”
> 
> “Anna, you are special. There is no one in the world like you and you know it. that’s why we need to keep you safe and away from the people who might want to hurt you or use you like they tried to do to us.”

Tony kept reading, but he was frowning more as more as he did. What was that letter talking about? What kind of danger could Anna’s parents have been that made them take such a desperate decision?

They’d barely known her before leaving her. How could they even know Anna was anything, special or not?

> “We love you. We loved you the moment we learnt we were having you, and we are gonna love you until the end of our days. Be careful and patient, we are coming back for you as soon as we know it is safe for you to be around us. Don’t lose hope. We love you. - Jean and Scott.”
> 
>  


	8. - 31st of December 1988 -

\- 31st of December 1988 -

 

 

“Okay, give daddy a kick,” Tony whispered to Anna’s stomach, kissing her skin at the same time a foot was pressed against his lips. “I love you.”

The foot didn’t move away until he did, and Anna caressed her side in pain.

“I don’t know how you do it,” she chuckled. “It’s almost like she understands you.”

He smirked.

“It’s because she does,” he shrugged. “Y/N is very smart, don’t act like you don’t know that.”

Anna chuckled.

“Oh, I know,” she affirmed. “Y/N is the smartest. There’s no doubt.”

He smiled and stood up.

“Alright, I really gotta go now,” Tony took a breath. “I wish you could come.”

“And hide in whatever room you put me in?” she arched her eyebrow. “No, thank you. And I have to go to work. No all of us have money to spare.”’

He shook his head.

“I’ve already told you, I can pay for your education,” he argued. “You don’t have to work!”

“And I’ve already told you to stick that in your ass,” she pushed herself up from the couch. “Now go, you’re gonna get late and your father will be annoying you for the whole night.”

Howard and Maria were hosting a New Year’s Party, and while Tony had managed to negotiate the Christmas celebration to be with Anna, this was an occasion he couldn’t skip.

“I’m gonna call you when I get there,” he promised. “Don’t forget to wear your bracelet.”

She pulled her sleeve up in response. Tony had given her two Christmas presents a week earlier: A necklace and a bracelet, both of them simple enough that she wouldn’t get robbed if she left home with them, and the inside of the bracelet had Tony’s number and the information her health insurance – which he was paying for – in the case of anything happened to her or the baby while they were alone.

At the start, she thought it was stupid, pure paranoia. After his insistence, however, she gave up. He was just worrying about the two of them, and if that would calm him down, she could do it.

They hugged and Tony lied a kiss on her cheek, leaning down and kissing her stomach once again.

“Daddy will be back in two days. Don’t do anything new before I’m here to feel, alright?”

Anna shook her head and waved goodbye while he left the small apartment.

Tony honestly felt as if his heart had been left behind the moment he left Anna. He didn’t know if it was because of the baby and all the time they were spending together because of her, but he was genuinely feeling something different for her, something that was far from just friendly.

His mother had asked not long ago if he’d ever thought about dating her and, while he said he thought had never passed his head then, it just couldn’t leave his mind now.

“Fucking shit,” he whispered under his breath.

He had fallen in love with her.

  



	9. -  00h02min 1st of January 1989 -

****\- 00h02min 1st of January 1989 -

 

Tony paced around with the cellphone in his hand, waiting for Ana to pick-up.

He’d gotten Anna a cellphone a while ago, just when he bought his Motorola DynaTAC 8500XL, reminding her that he would need to talk to her when he was away with his parents, as the girl always affirmed she would never come alone with him in his trips, affirming that his father hated her deeply.

“Come on, pick up,” he crossed his arms.

It was another moment until he heard her on the other side, and Tony let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

“Hello?” the woman sounded sleepy on the other sound.

“Hey,” Tony smiled. “It’ me.”

“Tony?” she yawned. “Is everything okay?”

He felt his face reddening from embarrassment.

“Yeah,” he cleared his throat. “I called to say… Uh… Happy New Year.”

She made silence for a moment, glancing at the closest clock.

“Oh, yeah… Happy New Year. Shouldn’t you be partying?”

He shrugged.

“I missed you,’ he confessed. “How are you?”

Anna laughed on the other side, groggily, and Tony bit his lip.

“I’m gonna let you sleep,” he laughed. “I just wanted to...”

“Be the first one talking to me in 1989?” she joked.

“Yeah,” he confessed, laughing in nervousness. “Okay, good night, then.”

“Good night,” she sounded like she had a smile on her face.

“Anna...” he called serious before she could even pull from the phone away from her ear.

“Yes?”

“I love you,” he blurted out.

Anna made silence on the other side for a long moment, and he didn’t know if she was surprised or something negative.

“I love you too, Tony,” she whispered.

He felt himself relax.

“I see you soon,” he smiled openly.

“Bye.”

He ran a hand over his face, leaving his phone aside, and jumped in surprise when he felt a hand on his back.

"Mom?" he frowned. "How long have you been here?"

* * *

 

In her bed, Anna was staring at the phone completely speechless.

He… Loved her.

The baby’s kick made her move her eyes down and cover her stomach with her hand.

“Oh, come on,” she rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I could touch him and just search in his mind and find out about it.”

Anna took a long tired breath.

“Well… I _could._ But I don’t do that stuff, _not anymore_ ,” she affirmed, both to herself and her baby girl. “And you won’t do that. I won’t let you. I read the letter my parents wrote. They were chased… Apparently almost killed. I can’t have that happening to me or you, it’s too dangerous,” she shook her head. “And I don’t even know if you are like that. You can be just like Tony. Smart and normal. You won’t have to be hiding or controlling yourself everywhere you go, in everything you do.”

She caressed her skin just over she knew her baby eyes, feeling herself warmer inside just a moment before a little hand pressed against her palm.

“Trust me, Y/N,” she whispered. “It’s for the best.”

She stood in silence for a long moment, and started giggling, covering her hot face with her hands. Gosh, she was flustered!

“Tony loves me,” she said out loud. “He loves me. No one has ever said they loved me, Y/N! But he does!”

She closed her eyes and rested her hand over her stomach again.

“He really does.”


	10. -  1st and 2nd of January 1989

\- 00h02min 1st of January 1989 -

 

 

“Well,” Maria crossed her hands over her lap. “I’m not surprised.”

Tony was a bit embarrassed, but not from his feelings. It was the act of confessing them to her that made him feel weird.

“What are you gonna tell her?” she questioned.

“The truth,” he shrugged. “She said she loves me too so… It’s not a risk, right?” he tried not to let nervousness sip through him. “But maybe she only sees me as a friend?”

“Calm down,” Maria interrupted him. “One step at a time.”

He nodded.

“I should get her a gift,” Tony decided. “Do you think I can get some gift today, is any place open? Maybe...”

She just continued looking at him, and the young man took a long breath.

“One step at a time. Okay.”

\- 11 pm, 1st of January 1989 -

 

He got to the plane at 11 pm. Hopefully, he would catch Anna before she left for work in the next morning, and he could drive her instead of letting her walk all the way to the restaurant. Well, maybe he could even convince her to call off the day so they could talk for real. Whatever time he had, he would take her to one of his favourites hiding spots with a box of pizza, and enjoy whatever end the conversation had. It wasn’t like they couldn’t be friends after he confessed he was _in love_ with her, right?

Right?

He was in the middle of the flight when he pulled the airphone to call Anna. Something felt wrong. Maybe it was because he spent the whole day without talking to her – he’d never done that before since the very first day they’d met – and Tony was feeling rather uncomfortable.

No pickup.

She was probably sleeping, what time was it there? Five in the morning? She only woke up to go to work two hours later. She only had to get to the shop at 8, why would she wake up earlier?

There was no problem in that, no problem at all.

\- 2nd of January 1989 -

  


Tony was calmer when the plane landed and feeling a lot colder. Outside the windows, he could see how everything was covered in snow, and he could distinctive remember someone saying on TV that a snowstorm should be expected for the first days of the year.

Anna looked like she was at home when she played with snow. Her pale skin and flaming red hair were the perfect mixtures of fire and cold, and he wondered if their girl would come out with her hair as red as her mother’s.

A thing he wanted to see, though, was Anna having fun at the beach. She’d never been in one, and he was already planning a trip with her and Y/N in the next Summer. She would probably be very surprised, and he couldn’t wait to see her smile.

“Sorry,” a man in a suit said after bumping onto to Tony, his eyes focused on the television above them.

“What happened?” the young woman behind him questioned as he frowned at the car wreck in morning news.

“The guy was driving too fast and the ice was too slippery,” someone explained. “Ran over a girl.”

Tony felt the hairs on his back stiffening and focused on what the reporter in the crime scene was saying.

“According to a bracelet, the young woman’s name is Anna Smith,” the man informed the people. “The driver was taken into custody to explain to the police what happened and the young woman was taken to the hospital. The doctors seem to be worried about the state of her child. More information will be given as they come. Now Joey, with the weather.”

His head felt lighter for a moment, and his heart stopped in fear

He needed to get to the hospital.

  



	11. - 2nd of January 1989, Morning -

\- 2nd of January 1989, Morning -

 

Someone had called from the hospital to guide Tony to where Anna had been taken, as he was her emergency contact, and he was spiralling completely while waiting for his name to be called. They didn’t tell Tony what they were doing to his baby mama or her state, except that they would proceed to with an emergency c-section and their daughter would be transferred to the NICU.

He was on the edge of a panick attack, completely along in the waiting room. Anna, on the other hand, was clinging to life like a warrior in the operating room, even though brain trauma was taking its tool on her. Until the moment she was put under medication, her body slipped in and out of conscience, with moments market with her begging the nurses to ‘let her daughter touch her’, saying things no one could understand and calling Tony’s name.

Y/N was born small, bery light and didn’t cry, even after her airways were cleared and she was shown to be breathing. The nurse, feeling a force she couldn’t exactly understand – she knew she should be taking the child right away – she moved to the unconscious young woman lying on the table and reached out with the baby girl’s hand to touch Anna’s pale skin, allowing them to touch for two ot three seconds.

‘Remeber me’, Anna screamed in her own mind, putting on all of her efforts into sending her daughter the message. She hadn’t used her powers in a long, long time, and this was more than she’d ever tried.

The first was snapped away from the trance when the other nurse called her, reminding her to rush to the other team waiting for the child.

The moment she stepped away from Anna, though, Y/N’s eyes snapped open and her mouth opened in a cry that sounded very painful. She was frightened, terrified, the woman could see.

They had experience enough to handle her, but the baby’s cry was disturbing every other child in the place and there was nothing that seemed to calm her down. It was impressive that her lungs were already developed enough for her to be crying so hard, even though she was still relatively debilitated, like anyone would expect a baby born at her state would be.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” the taller nurse rubbed her temples. “Where is her father?”

“In the waiting room,” the blond one, the one who’d carried Y/N as soon as she was out of her mother’s womb.

“Get someone to bring him here.”


	12. - 2nd of January 1989, Afternoon-

\- 2nd of January 1989, Afternoon-

  


Tony was frozen in his place, afraid that any movement would wake the baby on his chest or undo any of the wiring the nurses had done on her. He’d been there for hours, with his newborn daughter sleeping against his chest. Y/N. She had a feeding tube in her nose, an IV medication to her vein, a giant diaper on her little body – the smallest size they had available –, a little hat over her bald head and other stuff he couldn’t even name.

Y/N had been crying until the moment she was put in his arms, and fell asleep almost immediately. It was like she needed him somehow, or she wouldn’t rest. She finally did, though, and he could feel the tiniest bit of peace knowing his daughter was comforted by his single presence.

“Mr Stark?” a doctor knocked on the door. “We need to talk to you.”

He glanced at the closest nurse and, along with a second woman, they removed his young daughter from his chest and placed her in an incubator.

He walked out of the room and followed the man into one of the rooms of the hospital.

Anna was lied on the bed, connected to tubes and dressed in hospital gowns.

“I’m afraid I don’t have good news, Mr Stark,” he said slowly.

Tony closed his eyes. He knew. When they started holding information from him, he knew something very bad would be coming his way.

“We’ve tried our best, but your girlfriend had very extensive brain damage in the accident. After the c-section, we proceeded with our best efforts to save her, but unfortunately, she was beyond us. I’m afraid the damage cause her brain death.”

Tony fell into silence and walked slowly in Anna’s direction. She looked bruised and lifeless, and the machines all around her didn’t make the image any better.

“So what?” he questioned. “You’re just gonna… Unplug her?”

“We need authorisation for that,” he informed him. “Does she have any family? Any parents or siblings? Aunts?”

Tony shook his head.

“She’s an orphan, her parents left her when she was still a newborn. She only has...” he took a deep breath. “… Me and now our baby.”

The doctor nodded.

“You’re the only one listed as her contact. It’s your call, Mr Stark.”

He glanced at her once again, and his mind ran to the baby girl in the other room.

“Keep her plugged,” he crossed his arms. “Money isn’t a problem. Try to find a way to save her, to get to wake up or… Fix her.”

The doctor turned to him, ready to say something, but shut himself up before he could. She wasn’t a machine to be fixed, they couldn’t just work on her with tools to make her better.

Tony moved a hand to his face, drying a tear from his cheek and putting a brave face on. 

“Can I go back to my daughter now?”


	13. - 30th of January 1989 -

\- 30th of January 1989 -

  


Maria watched the little girl inside the incubator, holding Tony’s finger in her little hand. Y/N was small and fragile, and the doctors had said she would be in the NICU for at least another month, so she could gain more weight, control her own body temperature and get her immune system stronger. By the time the kid was free to go with Tony, it would be around Anna’s original due date.

He had been through many phases in his first month being a parent. For a while, he had panicked and spent days not even visiting the hospital, completely ignoring his daughter’s existence and never once addressing the fact that Anna was being kept alive only by machines and he would sooner or later need to decide whether he would or would not pull her plug. Only much later he had come to terms to the fact it was actually happening, and that he couldn’t run from the situation.

In the kid’s first two days of age, she’d managed to get the baby’s nursery in the mansion complete and ready for her to arrive at any time, and she and Howard had already decided the baby would be staying with them while Tony studied, as it was the best for both of them. They would be apart for most of the year, of course, but her son couldn’t possibly raise a child while in his current situation, it was an absurd idea. Her husband, right behind her, was keen of the idea of raising the girl, and already had found good board schools to send her to when she reached the proper age. Her life was already planned and, if Tony went the wrong way, he had a brand new heir in his hand to shape perfectly.

They hadn’t told that to their son yet. He wouldn’t enjoy their decision, that was certain. He was completely in love with the girl. He studied by the door of the NICU unit when he couldn’t come in, he hummed her songs and would tell her stories from the dozens of books he’s bought for her every time he saw one they didn’t have. He had even mentioned once that he actually had the book but didn’t remember and ended up getting another – which he ended up donating to an orphanage so other kids could read it.

She entered the room silently when she noticed her son had stopped whispering or mumbling to the baby and the little one had fallen asleep.

“Tony?” she called in a low voice.

“Mum,” he turned his head with a very small smile. “She fell asleep.”

“I can see that,” she moved a hand and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Can we talk?”

He hesitated, glancing at his father, who watched them from the other side of the glass window.

“Will it be quick?” he questioned, still not moving his hand from Y/N’s. “I’ll have to go back to class in 40 minutes, I’m trying to enjoy my time with her.”

“It won’t take much time.”

He took his hand away slowly, then stood up and followed her outside.

“We talked,” we talked Howard said in a tone he knew very well, one that didn’t usually leave him space to argue or give his opinion. “And we agreed that the best option is for Y/N to stay with us while you stud.”

Tony’s eyes went wide instantly.

“No, no, no, no, no!”

“Anthony, this is not a discussion,” his father continued, completely ignoring his objections. “We already have prepared the mansion for her stay, have contracted the necessary staff and contacted good schools. I am...”

“No!” he interrupted him.

Truth is, Tony didn’t know a single thing about raising a kid. When Anna proposed that they did it together, he had clear expectations of what would happen: He would pay for everything, leave the big decisions for her and try his best not to fuck their girl up. The idea of doing it alone terrified him, and he wouldn’t think twice if Maria had offered to raise the kid, but Howard? No. Never. His father had already fucked him up, he wouldn’t let him do the same to a second child, especially his child.

“That is my daughter. My baby. I will raise her, and I will raise her my way, with me here in Massachusetts. That is my kid. I made her, so I’ll raise her. I will not let you take her away for a single day or a single moment.”

“What about school?” his mother pointed.

“I’ve been doing this for a month, I can do this for more time,” he said like it was simple, even knowing it definitely wasn’t. “She can come with me to class, I can make a transportable changing table just fine.”

Maria shook her head and Howard let out an exasperated breath.

“So you’re gonna take her to class?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “She has… Like… 3 or 4 strollers at home and a lot of those things I can put on my those and carry her around. I got a baby seat for the car and a lot of those baby bags!”

Tony stood still, fearing any longer breath or sudden movement would cease his courage or take him down.

“I’m gonna make it work. But she will stay will me, there is no second option.”


	14. - 14th of March 1989 -

\- 14th of March 1989 -

  


Tony was very scared, _terrified_ , but especially happy. His baby girl was coming home, and he wasn’t ready. Even after two months of preparation, he wasn’t even close to prepared. Of course, his apartment was baby proofed and her room was ready.

By that time, everyone in school already knew he was a father, including his teacher. He didn’t know if anyone else in his situation would have a problem with school bringing their baby to classes, but the institution seemed completely fine with him taking Y/N with him, and he was very thankful for that.

Y/N was a calm baby, that was he couldn’t complain about. She slept in a tight schedule that fit his own, didn’t have any problem with eating and loved baths. He was still a bit clumsy with her, the first he’d changed her diaper he got baby poop in one of his hands and it wasn’t very pleasant, but he was learning.

He would be fine.

_Right?_

He had just put her in her the baby bouncer, buckling the belts that kept her safe when his eyes fell on the clock hanging over the television.

_Shit._

His test. How the hell did he forget about his test?

He ran to the door, picking his car keys and pushing the elevator button before checking his pocket for his wallet and keys. He had ten minutes to pick Rhodey up in his place, get to the campus and get into the classroom before the professor closed the door, or he would be screwed. That man was an asshole, and he didn’t want to give him a reason to make him repeat the class.

Tony frowned. Something was wrong. He was missing something.

His wallet? Student ID?

The moment he entered the elevator and saw a woman holding her kid, his eyes widened.

_The baby._

He ran back to his apartment almost comically, unlocking the door and finding his daughter reaching out and playing with the hanging toys in her chair.

In a minute, he unbuckled her and picked the baby and the bag the nurses had put together for their first day out of the NICU, trying to carry both of them safely in the empty elevator.

“Okay, baby girl,” he looked at her face. “Listen to me. You’re gonna need to keep quiet and play cute. Give that asshole the whole eye thing and then maybe giggle. Your giggle is very nice. Don’t poop when talking to him too, okay? I know you will want to do so because he can look very bad, but don’t.”

Y/N giggle in his arms, and he smiled.

“That’s my girl. You’re gonna meet your uncle Rhodey now, he’s been dying to see you We are friends since I got in here. Quite smart, but a couple of years older than me. He is a nice guy, probably will babysit you a lot.”

She just stared at him, and he sighed. She was a baby. She probably didn’t understand a single word of what he was saying.

Clock was ticking, so he rushed to get her in the car seat and drive as fast – but safely – as he could to get his friend.

“You’re late,” Rhodey accused, entering the car and closing the door right as Tony stepped in the pedal.

“I forgot Y/N home, I had to go back.”

The black man stared at him, both confused and not quite believing his words.

“You forgot your _daughter_?”

Tony felt his cheeks red.

“Shut up. It’s my first day.”

 


	15. - 23rd of March 1989 -

\- 23rd of March 1989 -

  


“Well?” Tony glanced at Rhodey. “What do you think of the last one?”

They were interviewing babysitters. 

Tony had actually tried to take care of the baby on his own,  and he managed a week before letting go of his pride and  starting to look for someone. After research and his mother’s help, the y’d narrowed it down to four women with great precious experiences and recommendations. A French woman, a Dutch woman, a Brazilian woman and a Scottish woman. 

“Scottish? She can speak three languages.”

“But she doesn’t cook,” he scratched the back of his neck. “I mean… I don’t want my daughter eating that supermarket food. I don’t know how it is made!” he exclaimed. “It could be… Chicken bones crushed and filled with… Sandpaper.”

H is friend raised his eyebrows at him, a bit shocked with Tony’s words. 

“Wow. You really are a dad.”

Stark just rolled his eyes, raising his neck to check the sleeping baby by  the crib he left in the living room. 

“Anyway. I like the Brazilian one. She speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. And she is hella hot.”

In response, Rhodes pulled the Brazilian woman’s file from Tony’s hand, placing it with the Scottish woman’s file. 

“What? Why are you discarding her?”

“She’s too hot. You’ll bang her before her first paycheck,” his friend opened the French woman’s file. “Look. Marie. Old enough to be your mother, can speak just as many languages as the Brazilian girl, her previous employer said her food is divine and she is your mother’s favourite.”

Tony pulled the Dutch woman’s file for a moment and threw it behind his back a second later. 

“What?”

“Dutch was my father’s favourite. We can go with Marie.”

James shook his head, but picked the discarded stuff and threw them away. 

Just as it happened, Tony could hear his daughter starting to make some noise and checked the clock. Oh yeah, it was that time of the day. 

“Come here, sweet girl,” he muttered, pulling her up and resting her on his chest before setting the TV on. “You didn’t think I would forget it, do you?”

James moved to sit by Tony’s side  on the couch as the TV show start. He never dared to say a single word about Mr Rogers or the TV show. He’d only met and talked to Anna twice, but knew that she loved the show and didn’t miss a single episode, and Tony wanted his daughter to be the same as her mother. 

“It’s a beautiful day in this neighbourhood, a beautiful day for a neighbour,” he sang a bit out of tune to the baby. “Could you be mine? Would you be mine? 

He was holding her hand, and smiling like a goof as Y/N pulled his finger to her little mouth. 

“It's a neighbourly day in this beauty wood. A neighbourly day for a beauty,” Rhodey tried to sing along. “Could you be mine? Would you be mine?”

The show was a nice bonding time between father and daughter and, while interviewing the nannies, Tony had left that very clear, and Maria’s assistant had updated them about the status of the mother of the child. None of the women actually knew they would be babysitting the youngest Stark child,  but were very professional about things involving work. Of course, he would probably hire another one in the future if she needed any help, but he figured she would be enough for now. 

“Won’t you be my neighbour?”


	16. - 24th of December 1989, Lunch Time -

\- 24th of December 1989, Lunch Time -

 

“Come on,” Tony left his hand open and as close to you as possible. “You can do you, Y/N.”

“Dada,” she opened and closed her chubby little hands, wobbling her little legs in his direction and jumping onto his arms. “Dada!”

“Good girl,” he laughed, tossing her up and catching her in his hands. “Such a big girl already.”

Y/N hit her little hands on his cheeks slightly, enjoying the sound the motion made when he had his mouth open.

“Mr Stark,” he heard, turning around to find Marie standing a few steps from them. “Her lunch is ready.”

“Thank you, Marie. I can feed her myself.”

The woman nodded. Tony Stark was probably the best father she’d met in her experience. He was very present in Y/N’s life, the best way he could at least. He Spent time with her as much as he could some days, he’d even taken the two to class or the lab with him, and the baby actually behaved very well in those situations. He taught her words and walking, and even tried to learn some more of other languages to speak to her when needed.

He was making silly faces while feeling her when his mother walked in, stopping and watching.

“Tony,” she approached her son. “The party is ready. I recommend that you put her to sleep as early as possible so she will be able to stay awake to meet at least some important people. Our business partners been dying to meet our newest family member.”

He opened his mouth wide, and Y/N mirrored the movement a second before he put the food in her mouth.

“Well, as long as she is awake to watch Mr Rogers, I don’t think it will be a problem.”

Maria sat by his side at the kitchen table, and watched as her granddaughter ate silently. Y/N was such an easy baby she suffered a bit with not having her around all the time. She had made plans for raising the girl and making her a beautiful and intelligent young respectable lady of the high society.

“You really have grown accustomed to this show,” she pointed.

“Well, Anna insisted Y/N should be watching it every day. I promised her.”

Yes. Anna. Always Anna.

“Well, there is something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about,” his mother shifted on her place. “Tony, I know you and Anna had an amazing relationship and that you were quite found of her.”

He ignored her. Tony loved hi mother and they were honest and loving with one another, but Anna was a subject he never allowed himself to discuss.

Since Y/N’s birth, the redhead girl was attached to machines in the same hospital she was first admitted in.

“Don’t you think it’s time to…”

“I don’t want to talk about that, mum,” Tony interrupted her, cleaning Y/N’s lip.

“You really thing it’s the best idea to keep that girl plugged in for your daughter’s whole life?” she insisted.

“That’s not open to discussion, mum,” he put the empty plate aside, taking the sippy cup filled with juice and offering it to his daughter. “Anna will stay where she is. The doctors are studying her case and there is a possibility of her waking up maybe in the next year.”

 _Less than 1% of chance,_ Maria remembered the doctor’s words when she herself asked about the young woman’s case.

“Tony.”

“I’m not talking about it, mum,” he interrupted her. “And I’d be happy if you respected that.”


	17. - 24th of December 1989, Christmas Eve -

\- 24th of December 1989, Christmas Eve -

Y/N was fuzzy inside her red Christmas dress, that was a fact. However, Tony couldn’t deny that with her Y/H/C styled, thighs and shiny shoes, she looked beyond adorable. And, oh, she loved Howard. Sometimes, she’d struggle to leave Maria’s arms to get into her grandfather’s embrace, and she was the only one who could make him smile outside his mother, and with even more frequency.

He was keeping Marie by his side with the baby, talking and talking about something he couldn’t actually understand that far. Tony wanted to pick his daughter and go somewhere else. He knew what Howard was doing. He was using her to better his image. His son had a stranded baby, and he was a good man for letting him keep the baby and helping him raising him well. He always did that.

“Put on a smile,” his mother said by his side. “It’s Christmas.”

But he wasn’t happy, he didn’t want to smile.

“We spent last Christmas together,” he muttered. “Playing a stupid board game there was in her stuff and eating chicken because the shelves were empty when it came to Christmas food.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He didn’t respond, just looking around, and frowned when his eyes fell on a woman on the corner of the room. Maybe he was going crazy, but she was really familiar to him.

Silently, Tony walked to her, not approaching too much but trying to get more details of her face.

Her hair was deep dark red, long and past her shoulder, and her body structure reminded him of someone.

When she noticed him walking to her direction, she discreetly walked to a man by her side wearing glasses, holding his hand tightly. They were a couple of decades older than himself – probably in their late 30’s or even early 40’s – but didn’t have the posture he’d expect from someone their age. They didn’t seem to fit in the party and were almost glued to one another, probably to protect themselves from other people. Security was probably already watching them closely just for that.

Almost as if she knew what he’d just thought, the woman glanced at Tony and then at the man by her side. For some reason, Tony felt an urge to walk to her side and did so without even thinking.

She just waited as a waiter offered her and then him glasses of champagne, both picking them up, probably for different reasons.

“Hello,” he said, trying to keep his tone light.

“Hello,” she nodded. “You’re Tony Stark, right? Their son.”

“Yes.”

The woman glanced at him with the corner of her eyes.

“And the little girl’s father?”

He stood straighter, both protective and suspect.

“Yes. That’s my daughter, Y/N.”

She rubbed her temple for a single moment but didn’t move her eyes from him.

“I’m sorry, do we know one another?” he questioned. “You… There’s something on your face. I’m pretty sure I know you or someone related to you.”

She hesitated.

“I’m sure you’re just mistaking me for someone else,” she affirmed. “I’m from a different city.

He nodded slowly, and it finally hit him. She looked a lot like Anna. Their hair and lips were almost the same.

“I’m Jean,” she introduced herself after apparently realising she hadn’t done so. “Jean Grey.”


	18. - 24th of December 1989, Christmas Eve -

\- 24th of December 1989, Christmas Eve -

Tony managed to get into a conversation with ‘Jean Grey’ but he was still unquiet. His discomfort only grew when her said partner showed up.

“Do I know you?” he insisted. “I feel like I know you two.”

She glanced at the man by her side.

“We’re not from around town,” he took a sip of his drink, looking around. “Right, Jean?”

“Yes.”

And then it clicked in his head. He knew where they were from. She was a mutant. They both were, he’d seen them on TV when he was a kid.

“What are you doing in here?” he stood straighter. “Why are you here?”

Jean Grey couldn’t answer Tony. She was just staring at him, completely frozen.

“I’m sorry. I...” she hesitated. “We’ll leave.”

Her partner turned to her in surprise.

“Jean!”

“We shouldn’t be here, Scott. Let’s just go,” she decided. “We won’t bother you again.”

“Tony!” someone called.

He looked in the direction to see where it came from, seeing his father. When he turned back, they were gone.

He searched around but finally gave up, walking to his father and picking his daughter from his arms before walking to one of the security staff to inform that two people had crashed the party and that they could be dangerous.

“Hey, baby girl,” he kissed the side of her face, finally, and Y/N whined.

You were clearly tired already, and very, very, grumpy.

 **T** **hat** was why Howard had given her back to him. Grumpy babies were far from his favourite thing in the world.

Tony bounced you softly, cooing her and looking around for a quieter place so he could maybe calm her down a bit. His mother had insisted on having pictures taken of the girl dressed up and, while they had taken some already, she wanted more memories.

Rhodey patted his back when he was on his to the balcony, holding a glass in his hand and offering him a small smile.

“She looks adorable,” he pointed. “Although not very smiley.”

Tony smirked.

“It’s past her bedtime, the dress is too much, there is too much noise… My parents want to keep her around but she’s a baby,” he rubbed Y/N’s little back. “She’s growing up so fast.”

Rhodey nodded.

“She’ll be one in just two weeks.”

Tony only nodded the implications just under Rhodey’s words.

It would be a full year since Anna’s accident. A whole year trapped in a bed, surrounded by wires. A whole year hoping she woke up and having his hopes crushing every time he stepped into her room in the hospital.

“Do you want to celebrate it?” his friend leant on the balcony. “Make a cake, bring in some… Kids’ stuff…”

Tony shook his head, making a face.

“She’s just one,” he reminded him. “She won’t remember a single thing of it. And I don’t have anyone to invite. It’s not like anyone else in school has a baby or toddler to run and enjoy... Whatever people do in parties for kids. No party this year.”

They fell back into silence, and James hesitated. He wanted to ask Tony about Anna if he had any plans for her. It was a year already. If she hadn’t woken up then, it hardly would happen.

“Have you ever taken Y/N there?” he questioned in a low voice. “To… See her?”

His friend didn’t answer for a long time but shook his head.

“Never. And I don’t think I would ever do it.”

The black man turned to watch him.

“She’s too young,” he looked at the baby girl. “She wouldn’t understand.”

“Do you think you would ever do it?”

Tony moved his eyes to his best friend’s direction before facing front again, and James sighed.

“How long do you plan to keep Anna like that, Tony?” he finally questioned. “Until Y/N is old enough to realise her mother is just a body being sustained by a bunch of machines. That you held on to her so long without even realising what made her who she was is gone?”

The Stark young man, turned on his heels, his face frozen, and walked away.

“I’m going to put Y/N to sleep.”

  



	19. - 25th of December, 1989, midnight - /  - 2nd of January, 1990 -

\- 25th of December 1989, Midnight -

Tony didn’t sleep. He couldn’t close his eyes for more than one second before his mind rushed to  _Jean Grey_  again. What was she doing there? Mutants weren’t seen around normal humans unless something dangerous was happening or about to happen, and such things mostly happened because of them themselves. What did they want there with his family?

And how they resembled him Anna so much… Maybe it was all in his mind. Sometimes he saw someone who looked like her just to find out a second later it was just his imagination. He missed her more than he could let out.

But why crash their Christmas party? What did they have in mind? Watch them? Spy on them?

He stood from the bed, careful not to wake you up from the deep sleep you had fallen in the crib just a few steps from him. He needed a pen and paper. Maybe he could create something… A system that could look for information when he needed it, and then the thing could help him find that Jean Grey again, and ask her why she looked for him in the first place. But how?

Jarvis would probably have something to suggest.

“Jarvis, ” he whispered. He missed him, that was certain. The butler was part of the family’s life up until just a few years prior. He would have loved Y/N, Tony was sure of it.

Jarvis.

An idea popped into his head.

Jarvis.

Just A Rather Very Intelligent System.

Tony wrote the words down. It was a good start.

* * *

 

\- 2nd of January 1990 -

“Happy Birthday, dear Y/N,” they sang. “Happy birthday to you!”

Y/N giggled in Tony’s arms, hiding her face as Rhodey made funny faces at her.

Her father tickled her.

“Make a wish, baby girl.”

Tony blew the candles and Y/N instantly reached out to the cake, trying to grab a piece of it.

It wasn’t a big party. Actually, Tony was in his apartment with Rhodey, his parents and Marie. Howard didn’t understand why they had a cake if he wasn’t inviting people to a party, but Maria convinced him to show up, and all five adults were together to celebrate the baby girl’s first birthday.

“Can you say cake, baby?” Tony questioned, seeing her rubbing the frosting on her face and smiling openly.

“Ache,” she said firmly. “Ache.”

Her father chuckled.

“It’s a start.”

A waitress came to serve the adults some of the food, which included the spare cake Tony had gotten for the adults, giving him girl freedom to smash and destroy the purple cake in front of her however she wanted.

“Do you like your cake?” he questioned. “Uh? Does Y/N like her cake?”

She only reached out to grab more of it. With Marie’s help, Tony had bought something with less sugar and artificial flavour for her to enjoy, hoping it would make the inevitable sugar rush easier to deal with.

“Dada!” she raised her little hand, hitting him right on the mouth with the cake. “Dada!”

Rhodey laughed hard and, as if she hadn’t had enough, the girl used the moment to rub more all over his face.

Tony laughed, closing his eyes in surprise.

“Oh, come on, Y/N!” he whined. “You got daddy all dirty!”

“It’s a parent’s life, son,” Maria laughed softly. “That is how she expresses love.”

He shook his head, trying to clean his skin with his free hand.

“My messy girl,” he rubbed his nose on hers, kissing her cheek right after. “I love you so much, little one.”

She caught his hair in her chubby fingers.

“Wuv dada.”

Tony’s face lightened up. She probably didn’t know what those words meant, but his mind didn’t even process the fact. All he knew was that his baby girl had just said he loved her.

“Dada wuv baby too,” he whispered, kissing her cheek.

 


	20. - 14th of February 1991 -

\- 14th of February 1991 -

 

Tony hid his hands behind his back, shifting uncomfortably on his feet while the doctor reviewed the file in front of his eyes.

There was nothing new in Anna’s case. She was just where Tony had left her in his previous visit, her brain hadn’t recovered and her body was only alive because of the machines surrounding her.

Still, he had brought her flowers and placed them besides the bed along with some balloons and sat on the chair left there for so long he couldn’t feel the time. If only he had gotten home earlier, or had set his foot down and spent New Years with her… She wouldn’t be there.

“If I do decide to pull the plugs,” he said in a low voice when the doctor stopped by his side. “Her organs...’

_After so long..._

“They are in perfect state, Mr Stark,” she affirmed. “There are many people who would benefit from her donation.”

Tony swallowed down saliva and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Alright.”

The woman turned to him, completely surprised. They had discussed taking Anna out of life support several times, but he never once showed any tendencies to do so.  

“Give me the stupid document before I change my mind for another year.”

* * *

But the hours passed and he didn’t change his mind. When he sat with his lawyer by his side, reading each word and paragraph attentively, he just wanted the process to be over.

If it was for Tony, he would never do so. He would keep Anna plugged, he would wait and wait until his last day to see if she would wake up, but he wasn’t doing it for himself.

Y/N was growing up, and rather quickly for his heart’s sake. She knew other kids, and other kids talked. She knew she didn’t have a mother but asked questions about Anna at least twice a day, and how could he tell his daughter that her mother was dead but attached to a hospital bed?

“I will take care of the funeral,” his lawyer said after they left the room.

“There’s no need for a funeral,” Tony interrupted his train of thought. “She has been dead since 89. Just bury her in the family mausoleum.”

The older man didn’t protest.

He rode home silently, and Y/N ran to hug him right after he closed the door, wrapping her small arms around his legs and making him smile and pick her up.

“Daddy!” the girl exclaimed. “I did one in the potty!”

Tony couldn’t hold back laughing. Since her birthday, Marie was carefully training his daughter to use the toilet and not her diaper, but it was a slow work. Now, Y/N seemed very proud of her accomplishment, and he raised his hand to high-five hers.

“That’s amazing, girl!” he exclaimed. “You’re so smart. I was so old when I finally did number one in the potty my mum sometimes asks if I’m on a diaper.”

She giggled and smiled more. Nothing could make him happier.

Rhodey reached his place just minutes later and sat by his side silently. Tony knew exactly what he was going to ask.

“It’s done,” he said, looking forward.

The man by his side hesitated but reached out to give his shoulder a squeeze.

“You did the right thing,” he affirmed in a comforting voice. “It’s the best for her.”

“Yeah,” Tony curled a string of his daughter’s hair in his fingers. “I know...”

He took a long breath, feeling his chest filling up with air and pain.

“I’m gonna miss her. I already do but...” he took a pause, kissing the girl’s forehead. “I’m gonna miss her.”

 


	21. - 17th/19th of December, 1991

\- 17th of December 1991 -

“Master Tony,” the voice sounded behind his back, and Tony frowned when he realised he hadn’t heard it in a long while.

Jarvis. **The** Jarvis, the man who’d helped his parents raising him for many years before retiring to take care of his own family. Jarvis was back.

Not thinking or hesitating, Tony put himself on his feet and rushed to hug his old friend, leaving you with your toys. He only realised something was wrong when he pulled away, seeing the look of sadness in the butler’s eyes.

“What happened?”

Jarvis was troubled, Tony could see that in his eyes even though his face remained calm and gentle.

“There was an accident during your parents trip,” he said slowly. “They lost control of their car and hit a tree. There were no survivors.”

The news sunk like a rock in a lake, making his head and stomach heavy, and his heart race.

They’d left the previous morning, and the only thing Tony could remember was that they didn’t trust him to be alone in the house with Marie spending Christmas with her family.

‘I can take care of myself and of my own daughter’ was what he had said.

Tony hadn’t even thought of saying goodbye.

“I’m sorry, Master Tony.”

But Tony didn’t answer. Instead, he just turned to where Y/N was playing with building blocks.

“I’m your ward now,” the man continued behind him, watching as the young father picked his daughter from the mat on the floor and caressed her back softly, bouncing up and down.

It wasn’t a way to comfort her, but _himself_.

“What am I supposed to do now?” the boy questioned.

“What do you want me to do?” Jarvis returned the question.

He stood in silence for a moment, rubbing a hand over his face.

“I… Uh…” he struggled to think. “I don’t know. Can you take care of everything?”

The butler nodded.

“Of course, Master Tony.”

\- 19th of December 1991 -

Rhodes took a long breath beside his friend, watching as the two coffins were carried to the family mausoleum. Tony was keeping his face stoic, _stone cold,_ but he knew better than to trust this face.

The way back home was silent enough that Y/N had fallen asleep less than two minutes after being put in her seat, and Tony didn’t look away from her in any moment and no one even thought of saying anything about it. If she was who was keeping him grounded, then let it be.

“Master Tony,” Jarvis started to say right after Rhodey left them alone, but Tony interrupted him.

“I want to have Y/N homeschooled,” he announced. “So… Cancel all of the boarding school lists and… All the stuff dad did, okay? Marie is retiring and I need another nanny or maybe a cooker and… For goodness sake, Marie?”

The woman approached him quickly.

“Take her off of that black dress! She is a baby, I don’t want to see her in black.”

She left without a word, carrying the little girl in her arms. 

Jarvis just nodded.

“Is that all?”

“Just don’t forget to turn on Mr Rogers. I’ll be in my room.”


	22. - 28th of January 1997 -

\- 28th of January 1997 -

“Daddy!” Tony heard the long and childish cry, turning instantly from where he was video conferencing with Rhodes to behind him, where Y/N had fallen right on the sand two feet away from a tree. 

“Y/N!” he left the beach chair, rushing to get her. 

Y/N was holding her leg and had tears on her eyes. Her toys were aside now, and Tony could clearly see blood pouring from the knee she had up. 

“Oh, honey,” he picked her up. “Let’s get you inside. 

They were in his private beach, spending some few days away after they got to Disneyland as her birthday trip. Y/N was now seven and was a troublemaker. Not socially – she was a very sociable and polite kid – but in a way that  sometimes  had Tony pulling his hairs out. 

The girl was 'curiosity' in its very definition: Every single toy of hers had gone through the process of being pulled apart and put together randomly.  She had even done that to her TV, and Jarvis almost had a heart attack when he thought it was still connected to electricity.  Up until she was five, she tasted every single thing that looked edible – even though they definitively were  **not –** and every one of hers had gone through some process of her finger painting them. Hell, even one of Tony’s expensive suits had been finger painted, and now spotted a print of her hand in hot pink. 

T o be honest, he had hosted at least one party wearing it and everyone thought it was some sort of new fashion he was trying. 

And the kid was almost addicted to climbing trees. He couldn’t find a single tree she  hadn’t try to climb at any of the families properties or trips  he’d taken her. As surprising as it seemed, the girl rarely hurt herself in those antics. That’s why he found it so weird that she had suddenly fallen.  Of course, it was a palm tree, but she had also never tried to climb a palm tree. Palm trees  didn’t have br a nches. 

He washed her knee calmly, feeling her Y/E/C eyes right on him, and taking a band-aid from Jarvis' hand to cover it. 

“See? Looks brand new. You’re perfectly fine.”

She jumped into his arms and he could feel how her skin was hot, deciding not to go back to the beach. 

“Do you want me to kiss it so it can heal faster?” he offered, and Y/N nodded instantly. 

Tony smiled, doing just as he had said and resting a hand on his own knee. 

“Baby, why did you try climbing the palm tree?” he questioned. “It doesn’t have branches, for you to hold onto.”

In response, Y/N gave him a frown. 

“But I didn’t climb the tree, daddy. Didn’t you see me? I was flying!”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. 

Oh yes, everyone had already warned him about that age. She was starting to make up crazy stories expecting him to believe in them. Something about lying being good for the brain’s development. 

“Flying?”

“Yes,” Y/N confirmed in an intense voice. “Just like grandpa’s flying car! And I went higher and got taller than you!”

T ony watched his daughter with a smirk. 

“Oh, did you?”

“Oh yes!” she continued, excited, but then her voice became a bit sad. “But then I fell, and that’s why I hurt my knee.”

He confirmed slowly with his head, acknowledging the information. 

“Well, let’s try not to fly around like this again without me or Jarvis to catch you, shall we?” 

Y/N confirmed with a serious face. 

“Okay, daddy. I’ll call you when I start flying again.”

He tried not to laugh, and the family nanny entered the bathroom to interrupt their moment. 

“It’s bath time, I suppose,” he turned to the older woman. 

“Yes, Mister Stark.”

“Alright,” he stood up. “I’ll go figure where we’ll go for dinner.”

He left the room with a smirk but turned around right as he was outside the door. 

“And remember, no flying, kid!”

“Yes, daddy.”


	23. - 2nd of January 2001 -

\- 2nd of January 2001 -

Tony was excited. The kitchen was packed filled with Y/N’s favourite food, and he had programmed a whole day scheduled. The two would have a day at a spa with a pool party and then a marathon of all of their favourite films while eating fast food and popcorn he had put together in their new house. 

“Alright, wake up, kiddo,” Tony opened the door, pushing a tray right inside your bedroom. “It’s your birthday and we have a program, and it starts...”

T ony froze in his spot  when he took a look of the room. The place was a mess. The doors and windows were opened, decoration was thrown on the floor and it all looked like a hurricane had passed inside it. 

“Honey?” Tony called loudly, seeing his daughter curled in a ball on the bed.

“Dad,” Y/N whined.

“What’s wrong, cupcake?” he left the tray aside, kneeling by the bed close to her face.

“It hurts,” she muttered.

That broke Tony. The room and the mess could wait, the explanation could wait. His daughter in pain? He wouldn’t have it. 

“What hurts?” he took his hand to her face, moving her hair behind her ear.

She let out a soft cry.

“My belly.”

He usually knew how to deal with the situation. When Y/N was younger and ate  _a bit_ too many sweets, she could get a bit sick after. But she hadn’t had anything out of normal the previous day. Maybe she was actually sick.

“Let me feel it, sweet pie,” he whispered. 

Hesitantly, Y/N moved enough so her father’s hand could touch her lower stomach, and he quickly frowned when he felt how bloated she actually was.

“Does it hurt when I press it?” he enquired, doing what he was saying.

She shook her head.

“I’m gonna call Pepper,” he stood up. “Come on, baby, go brush your teeth, I’m gonna take you to the doctor.”

Tony pulled her sheets and stopped right on his spot.  Blood. Not a lot of blood but definitely blood. His face went completely red. He knew what that was. 

Y/N  moved her eyes to her father, and he kissed her temple. 

“Stay there, love. I’ll get Pepper, okay?”

“Am I sick?” she questioned in a mutter. 

Tony ran his finger through her hair slowly. Gosh, she looked a lot more like Anna these days than when she was a kid.

Anna would certainly know what to do now. Or his mother.

“No, love,” he said quickly. “It’s… It’s a girl thing. I don’t know how to help you but Pepper does, I promise.”

He  stood up, walking out of the room, and his eyes widened when his personal assistant stopped in front of him. 

“I need you in there,” he decided, not questioning how she’d gotten there because he could even call her name.

“Is there something wrong?” the woman questioned, worried.

“She’s got the… Uh… The girl thing,” Tony struggled. “The girl problem. Go help her.”

Pepper didn’t see to understand but entered the same way, and Tony stepped back, rubbing his own face for a moment.

“Alright. Change of plans,” he muttered to himself before turning in a random direction. “Jarvis?”

* * *

There was nothing fun about taking care of a girl in her period, but Tony stuck to his internal promise not to leave your side. It was still your birthday, and he would make it the best of the days even with the unexpected news.

“Alright,” he rubbed his hands together. “I can do this.”

The spa day would be rescheduled along with pool party – someone was calling everyone in the list to inform them of that – and their personal theatre was set up for a longer marathon of films, with sweets and chocolate for at least ten people and part of the party food. He’d just told Pepper to do whatever she wanted to the rest of it.

“Pumpkin pie?” he knocked on Y/N’s door, opening it slowly and seeing her in a fetal position on the bed. “Are you feeling better?”

His daughter just shook her head. She had showered and dressed up, but her face hadn’t changed from the pain expression. Someone had changed the bed set and put her things back in place, and now that half of the _problem_ was taken care of, he couldn’t help but wonder how the hell had happened in her bedroom.

“ _No,”_ she said against her pillow. ”Pepper doesn’t have ibuprofen, Jarvis said he was gonna get me some.”

Tony just walked to her side, sitting on the bed and moving his hands on her head. What could he say? He wasn’t a woman, he didn’t have a single idea of what she was going through.

“Do you want me to get something?”

“No,” she muttered.

Y/N’s voice died for a moment but came back right a second later with a long sound that was a mixture of a whine and a cry. Tony was ready to try and comfort her, but the room just _started shaking._ Well, not the room but the things in the room. Her lamp fell on the floor with nothing around it, the windows and doors started opening and closing alone, making loud banging sounds, and the bed started _fucking floating._

It was a thing that looked like it came straight up from _Carrie._

Suddenly, everything just rushed into his mind. Her stories about flying and dreaming of it all the time, the mutants who’d tried to invade his family party, everything weird he just couldn’t understand – or even _accept_ , sometimes – about his daughter…

His hands went to his face

“Fuck…”

Y/N was a mutant.


	24. - February, 2002 -

\- February 2002 -

  


Tony watched silently as Y/N moved her right hand slowly, using her powers to raise the dart and position it slowly. Usually, he’d be cheering her  and saying encouraging words, but Jarvis had warned him against it. She couldn’t be distracted away from this task, and he wouldn’t want the dart to come his way.

He  bit his bottom lip just as the apple on the other side of the room was slowly lifted, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. One single year and Jarvis had actually trained Y/N enough that she could do all of that. The man had met extraordinary people – none of them with such powers, but spies enough to make most of his life a secret – and was open to help the young girl control her gifts and, hopefully, give them a good use in the future. 

“Fuck,” the single parent let out just as the pointy dart crossed the air to find the fruit, pinning it against the panel place on one of the walls of the training room he’d separated for her months ago. 

Accepting that Y/N was different… That was tough shit.  He’d spent weeks torn apart between trying to make things look like nothing was wrong or had changed and treated her the same way and finding ways to figure out  where her powers had come from and how to deal with them. Honestly, for three whole days he’d locked himself out of her way and pretended to work on a piece until his mind was finally sat on the fact that with or without powers, she was still his daughter. 

“Good job, honey pie!” he clapped, cheerful. “That’s my witch.”

Y/N smiled openly, and he could see how her face was glowing in a layer of sweat from all of the efforts. He’d ran a test on her to see how much energy mere using her powers made her  b urn, and it was quite a lot. 

“Here,” he raised the banana he’d been holding and threw it at her the moment he’d caught her attention. “Snacktime.”

The fruit fell into the air and landed in his daughter’s hand, and Tony couldn’t help but wonder if she’d used her powers or not then.

“Rest a bit, Miss Y/N,” Jarvis instructed. “Your progress is very positive.”

The girl smiled in response.

“Thank you, Jarvis. I’ve been practising during my free time.”

And that wasn’t a lie. Y/N almost didn’t do any small ta s k s with her hands any more. She’d  open doors and change TV channels with her powers, as well and pick small things out of shelves, one at once. Having her lifting two objects – the apple and the dart – and controlling both with no major struggle was a great advancement. 

“Don’t exhaust yourself,” the butler instructed. “We have a lot of time. Your powers won’t go away over the night, there’s always the next day to work on them.”

Of course, she didn’t think the same. Y/N powers showed up overnight, they could go away any minute too.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, eyes widened in glee. “I discovered another thing I can do.”

_Oh crap, as if her powers weren’t worrying enough._

Tony crossed his arms, bracing himself for the news.

“Well, show us,” he encouraged her.

The girl stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and disappearing in thin air.

His eyes widened and Tony ran to where she had gone, feeling his heart racing in panic.

“Y/N?!” he called loudly, hyperventilating.

“Here, dad!” he heard, turning around to see her resting her back against the door and opening a large smile. “Isn’t that awesome?! I can teleport!”

Tony put a hand over his heart and then looked at Jarvis, who only nodded.

“Well done, Y/N. I think it’s time to rest now. Go to the dining room, there’s some food waiting for you.”

“Okay,” she smiled and ran to Tony’s side, kissing his cheek before living the room.

Just as the two men were left alone, the father took a long breath.

“Have I mentioned how she’s gonna kill me before I’m 40?”

“I believe so, sir,” he nodded.

Tony nodded emphatically.

“Yeah. Take note on that. She’s gonna kill me before I’m 40.”  



	25. - Spring, 2004 - / - Start of the School Year, 2004 -

\- Spring, 2004 -

“I’m nervous,” Y/N covered her face with her hands, cold as a stone.

“Of course you are,” Tony rolled his eyes, weighing the letter in his hand.

They had sent her applications in November with everything M.I.T. requested for their students. SATs, recommendation letters from her tutors and even from Jarvis and documents. Now, the letter had just arrived and the three of them were sat waiting for Tony to open his daughter’s mail.

“Open it,” she insisted, holding her hands together. “Go on, dad. Open it!”

The single father ripped the paper and pulled the letter out, running his eyes on it.

“Ms Y/N Anna Stark,” he read out loud. “Yada yada yada… Very honoured for you choosing us… Young… Smart… blah blah blah… Your application… Na na na...”

Tony’s eyes widened and he jumped, standing up.

“You’re in.”

His daughter’s face froze in complete shock as she turned to him.

“I’m in?”

“You’re in!” he opened his arms.

The two hug tightly, jumping up and down while Jarvis watched with a discreet smile.

\- Start of the School Year, 2004 -

Tony watched as Y/N checked her things in her backpack nervously. It was her first day at college and she was very nervous. She was one of the youngest students there at 15 and he couldn’t help but be worried about how she’d be there.

Y/N was homeschooled and that was the reason she has managed to get into school so early in life. Just like Tony, she was following the family business and studying to be an engineer. If Maria and Howard were alive they would be very proud.

“Ring me if you need me, okay?” he reminded her. “I’ll be home and I can pick you up anytime you need. I’ll be right there waiting.”

“It’s okay, dad,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

Tony nodded, biting his lip.

“Okay. Okay. But you know that I’m less than 10 minutes away, right? Hide in the bathroom and call me, I know this place like the back of my hand.”

“Okay,” she reassured him. “I will.”

Y/N was very young, too young to be alone in a place like that, so to make sure she’d be safe, he’d moved to the closest place possible to the campus and planned to stay for at least two or three years. He would be working from there and travelling if needed.

He’d brought Pepper and Happy with him and would have brought Jarvis, but he has decided to retire just as Y/N had been accepted into the school. According to the man himself, his job was done and the girl and Tony had everything they needed in one another.

“I’ll walk you to your class,” the single father decided, putting on his sunglasses, and Y/N’s shoulders relaxed instantly, showing how she was still very nervous about this new start.

He closed the door of the car before going to her side and checking the paper that said where her first class would be.

“Come on, Mr Blacksmith was my professor when I was here.”

That made Y/N turn to look at him.

“Really? They must be really old then.”

Tony gave his daughter a fake hurt look.

“Kid, you’re 15 and I had you when I was 18,” he reminded her.

“Not my fault that you started too early and wasn’t smart enough,” she shrugged, still walking in the direction of her classroom. “Now you’re stuck with me.”

He chuckled.

“As if I could forget that.”

They stopped in front of the room and he opened the door to his daughter with a smirk.

“Good morning,” he said with a loud voice and a smile. “Mr Blacksmith!”

The old man turned from the board to glance at the two, and his face changed in surprise.

“Mr Stark. I haven’t seen you more than a decade.”

His daughter entered the room silently, finding herself a place as the two men started talking.

“Is that your daughter?” the old man pointed her direction. “I didn’t know she was old enough to be in college.”

“And she’s not,” he opened a proud smile. “She turned 15 this January. My girl, there, is a genius, right, baby?”

Y/N froze in embarrassment as the two stared at her for a moment.

“She’s shy,” Tony decided. “But she’s smart.”

“Okay,” the man nodded. “Welcome to M.I.T., Y/N. I hope you don’t bring in as much trouble as your father.”


	26. - May 25th, 2007 -

\- May 25th, 2007 -

Tony pulled his suitcase with a smile. There was only so much time he could stay away from Y/N. The last time he’d seen his daughter was when she left after her birthday, and now – four days before **his** birthday – he was finally coming to spend a week with her in Massachusetts just as he had done the previous year.

With her intelligence, Tony’s teaching and the many many courses she’d be able to take before starting school, the girl had already recently gotten her Bachelor’s in Engineering and was now pursuing her first Master’s. All before turning 20! Her father couldn’t be more proud.

“I can’t go,” he heard his daughter’s voice through the door just before pulling the key to open her apartment’s door. “Hill, my dad is on his way, what am I gonna say when he gets here and I’m not present?”

That made Tony stop his motion. Hill. He’d never heard you speaking of anyone named Hill. Was it a boyfriend? All of the boys around were either too old for you or freshmen, and those only had one thing in their mind.

“Fury _requested_ you,” the other person – a woman, he finally identified – said firmly. “Don’t you know what that means?”

Fury? Who the fuck was Fury? What kind of name was that?

The sigh Y/N let out was one Tony knew very well, and it wasn’t a very happy one. She was cornered, mildly frustrated and _annoyed._

Okay, maybe that was the best time to enter if he wanted to do that today.

“Hill...” she started, but both the women turned to the door when Tony stepped into the apartment. “Dad! You’re here earlier, what a surprise.”

Y/N walked in Tony’s direction wearing a smile that was a big mixture of nervous and happy, hugging him tightly and giving him a moment to glance at the beauty in the middle of the living room. Tall, black-haired and with sharp features, whoever this hill was, she was _hot._

“I know I told you I’d arrived in the morning, but I managed to clean my agenda and now I’m here,” he said with a smile.

“I’ll thank Pepper for that,” his daughter smirked, knowing her father well enough to be sure he wouldn’t _survive_ without his assistant, much less clean his own agenda.

“So, who is Fury?” he furrowed his brow.

“Fury?” Y/N turned to Hill. “Fury. Fury is a nickname for a friend of ours. Angela Black.”

“Yes,” the other woman confirmed. “And she really needs a favour of ours this weekend.”

Tony looked between the two but shrugged. Girls had weird nicknames for one another.

“You’re not gonna introduce me to your friend, sweetheart?” Tony changed the subject, giving his daughter a wicked smile. “That’s not polite.”

Y/N shook her head, rolling her eyes.

“Of course… Hi-Maria,” she corrected herself for a moment. “That’s my dad, Tony Stark. Dad, that’s my friend...”

“Maria Hill,” she reached out to shake his hand. “Biology Masters.”

He nodded with a smile, and his daughter knew he didn’t even care about what came after Hill’s name. She was hot and available. That’s all he needed to know.

“Nice to meet you,” he took off his sunglasses. “I...”

“I’m leaving now,” the woman turned to her friend. “St… Y/N. I’ll see you?”

The younger girl opened a smile.

“Sure. I’ll call you.”

 _Maria Hill_ closed the door behind herself, leaving a surprised Tony behind, and his daughter called his attention back to herself.

“So, dad,” she put a hand on his back. “How was your flight?”


	27. - 25th and 26th May, 2007 -

****\- May 25 th, 2007 -

“Honey, it’s okay, I promise you. Go help your friend, I will be fine,” Tony sat on the couch. “I was the one who showed up early, I should have only been here tomorrow night.”

Y/N sighed. For the whole day, Tony had watched her whispering on the phone, discussing what seemed to be something important, and he figured that – if that was taking so much of her day, it was best she went to whatever ‘Angela’ or ‘Fury’ or whoever it was.

She didn’t even protest, picking her purse and sending him a blown kiss before disappearing in thin air. Walking out to the window, Tony watched the garage to wait for her leave, but after 10 minutes of seeing some cars coming and going, he didn’t see her vehicle anywhere.

“Weird…”

* * *

 

\- May 26th, 2007 -

The morning came, then the afternoon, evening and late night, but Y/N did not come back nor call Tony, and he had to admit he was now getting worried. She should have at least texted. Why hadn’t she texted him?

As if I was an answer to his question, his phone vibrated by his side with a text from his daughter.

‘Won’t be home for dinner. Sorry. Love ya.’

He shifted on his feet, uncomfortable. She had never had the habit of staying out too late or not sleeping home, so this was very new. But Y/N was a grown girl, right? She’d been living alone for a whole year and he never once had a problem with her. She sure knew what she was doing now. And that Maria looked trustable, she was clearly over 25 and looked responsible.

They were probably doing something girly and completely and absolutely safe.

* * *

 

“Stark,” you heard on your ear. “3rd from left to right.”

“What’s your position?” you whispered back, trying to see something in the dark.

“Next building,” Barton answered quickly. “I can see the insides through the window. The guard is distracted but you can’t make a noise and need to be quick.”

You rolled your eyes, trying to keep yourself in place.

Agent Stark, Level 4, both level black and blue in S.H.I.E.L.D., you were the newest addition to your level – and the youngest just as well. You were recruited a few weeks after your 18th  birthday and worked doing paperwork while being trained to become a field agent. Apparently, they knew about your powers and had been watching you for some time, which gave you strong feelings that maybe Jarvis had a finger on it. After all, he had started physically training you himself since you first showed your powers.

“Unlike whatever you think, Barton, keeping myself attached to a wall demands a lot of concentration.”

He didn’t answer, probably figuring it was rhetoric, and you faced forward.

The third compartment from the right, you found it.

Slowly and trying to keep your breath steady, you pulled it open, and Barton’s voice quickly sounded in your ear again.

“The file is on top. You think you can pull it.”

You just gave him a short hum in response, trying to grasp anything inside it until you felt the file and finally lifted it, closing the drawer and bringing it to your hand.

“Got it,” you informed him, moving silently back to where you’d come from. “Closest exit?”

But Barton didn’t have the time to answer you. A soldier quickly grabbed you by your ankle and you did your best to keep the file suspended while trying to get rid of him. Well… Them. Apparently, there were three of them.

“I could use some help!” you announced right after kicking the first one on the face.

You closed your eyes just as someone double punched your face, grimacing just as you tasted the blood, distracted long enough to let the file fall and be kicked right on the ribs.

“Son of a bitch,” you hissed, picking the file again and finding strength enough to press all of them against the wall, concentrating hard to press cut air supplies and at least suffocate the three until they were unconscious. You could have done that earlier, of course, but it wasn’t something you enjoyed doing: It was awfully hard and demanded lots of energy.

“You really made me come all the way here just to do that?” Barton started down at you, pointing at the three men.

“Maybe,” you finished the last man. “Give me your hand, I’m gonna take us back.”

He didn’t protest, and you held the folder with your free hand just a second before teleporting to the window, make sure of the location of the quinjet and pop inside it.

“Alright,” you released Barton. “I really need to sit down now.”


	28. - 6 am, May 28th, 2007 -

\- 6 am, May 28th, 2007 -

“You did good, kid,” Barton nodded to you. “Really good for your first mission. I left mine with my face a lot worse than that.”

You chuckled. You looked bruised, to say the least. Your lip was broken, there were two longs cuts on your cheek, your shoulder was dislocated and you had two broken ribs. You also had no idea of how to explain that your father.

“Thanks,” you smiled a bit. “That’s good, right?”

He chuckled.

“Yeah. That’s great.”

Walking through the living room was like a walk of shame, but something worse.

You had a sling to keep your arm close to your body, a bottle of pills on your purse to get through at least three weeks of pain and, of course, a story to cover why you had so many broken bones and injuries.

Luckily, your father would still be asleep, and you’d be able to get to bed and…

“Y/N?”

From all the days he could have caught you coming home during the morning, he chose _that_ one? Really?

“Hey, dad,” you looked at his face. “What are you doing up?”

“I didn’t really go to bed,” he scratched the back of his neck. “You didn’t call, didn’t tex- Oh my… What happened? Who did this to you? I’m gonna call the police.”

“No,” you exclaimed. “Calm down, dad. I just came from the hospital, I’m okay, I just need to rest.”

Tony’s face was extremely pale, and you he was scared.

“What happened?” he questioned again.

“I was helping Angela move some furniture and had an accident during it, but I’m okay.”

“What kind of accident?”

“I feel from the stairs.”

“Stairs?!” he looked you from top to bottom with clear disbelief. “You look like this after stairs?!”

“Her vanity fell on me but I used my powers to hold it in a bit of a distance before I got too hurt.”

Your father just raised both his eyebrows at you. Oh yes, as if that wasn’t the worst case scenario.

“The docs were actually surprised I don’t look worse.”

Slowly and filled with worry, Tony touched your face, trying to grasp how badly hurt you looked.

“How long will you have to wear the sling?”

“Six weeks or so,” you sighed. “And I better go easy on the ribs too.”

His eyes widened and your father moved his hand to feel your side.

“You cracked your ribs?!” he almost yelled, his voice as thin as a teenager’s.

“Some,” you gave him an apologetic smile. “But I’m fine!”

“You’re clearly not!” he argued. “You have a black eye!”

Quickly, you reached out and held his hand, squeezing it tightly.

“Dad, I’m okay,” you insisted. “It was just an accident. I’ll be more careful next time, calm down.”

He ran his hands on his hair nervously.

“Why were you even carrying her vanity down the stairs? There are people who work with those things!”

You shifted on your feet.

“Her boyfriend kicked her out,” you sighed. “We’ve all told her she deserved better than him but she never listened to us. She needed to get her things out quickly.”

He stared at you for a moment, sighing deeply right after.

“Look, I know you have a good heart, but let’s try not to hand lift vanities again? Just… Hire someone and pay them double to come right away. It’s not worthy of a black eye and cracked ribs.”

You just nodded with another apologetic smile.

“Okay, dad.

Tony hesitated, continuing to stare at you.

“The girls…”

“Maria drove me to the hospital and made sure I was being well treated.”

He nodded slowly.

“Fine. Okay. Go to your room, the doctor said you need to rest.”

He kissed your cheek and you did the same, walking back to your room and raising your head when you heard his voice again.

“And take your medicine!”


End file.
